Chapter Nine: Soul Cages
The next moring flew by and luchtime found Yumi, Ulrich and Odd sitting in the lunch hall. Odd shoved food
into his mouth like he would never eat again. Yumi and Ulrich shifted their food from side to side on the trays,
obviously not hungry. Dark rings under Yumi's eyes said volumes about the amout of sleep she had gotten the
night before, and Ulrich hadn't spoken much all morning.
"Hello, Ulrich darling!" Pushing his tray aside, Ulrich put his head down on the cool table, as if this
would make her go away.
"Hey Sissy! How's the nose job working out for you?" Ulrich smiled down at the table at the thought of how
red Sissy's face must have been getting. Sure enough, when he raised his head up she was standing there glaring
daggers at Odd, who was smiling innocently.
"What do you want," Yumi snapped, pointedly not looking at the younger girl. Sissy's gaze shifted to the
crutches Yumi had leaned up against the table next to her.
"I just wanted to see if Ulrich wanted to take me to a movie tonight. I'm sure my dad would let us. I'd
invite you, but with that ankle and all..." Sissy trailed off, letting the silence finished the sentance for
her.
Yumi started to rise, ignoring the sharp pain that shot up her leg. Ulrich placed a calming hand on her
shoulder, gently forcing her back down into the seat. "I'd rather not," he managed to spit out. "I'd never go
out with a witch like you."
Sissy gave an unlady-like sniff and stalked away, looking hurt. "You shouldn't let her get to you," Ulrich
scolded Yumi softly. "She said that last part on purpose--"
Yumi cut him off. "I know that!" She sounded disgusted. "Sometimes it seems like payback might not be so
bad, you know?" The last part was said softly, and the boys could tell there was no malice behind it.
Sliding his tray over to Odd, who was looking rather lost, Ulrich stood up. "You done, Yumi?"
"Yeah." Yumi did the same, passing her tray to Odd and following Ulrich out.
Ulrich froze just outside the door, and Yumi bashed into him from behind. "Yumi," he breathed softly. "Take
a look at that!"
Over his shoulder, Yumi saw what the boy was looking at. On a bench in the park area sat Jeremie and
Aelita, glancing at each other awkwardly and looking generally uncomfortable. They were facing opposite
directions on the bench. Suddenly they both turned at the same time, locking eyes. Jeremie started to lean in,
and itdawned on Yumi what was happening. "We shouldn't be watching this," she hissed in Ulrich's ear.
Ulrich reached for Yumi's hand, squeezing it gently. "Why not? We're them, right?" Yumi turned an unnatural
shade of red, even as the scene before them continued to unfold. The ghostly pair's lips met and then parted.
Both of them looked highly embarassed.
"Would you like to come to my room after classes are over? I have a new computer program you might like to
see," Jeremie said, breaking the tension.
Aelita nodded. "That'd be great!"
"I'll meet you here after class then."
Ulrich winced as he felt Yumi's grip on his hand tighten. "Look in the trees over there, to the right," she
whispered. He followed her gaze and saw a lone figure behind a tree, within earshot of the pair on the bench, but
not within their line of sight.
"CeeCee," he whispered back. Breaking her cover the previously hidden girl came forward, striding towards
Jeremie and Aelita.
"Hello, Jeremie darling," she gushed loudly. "Would you like to come see a movie with me tonight?"
"That sounds awful familiar," mused Yumi in a low voice.
"No way. In your dreams, CeeCee," Jeremie said in similar fashion to Ulrich. Grabbing Aelita's hand, Jeremie
stalked away from the bench, leaving CeeCee to ponder her defeat.
"Well, that was interesting," Ulrich said, watching as the image of CeeCee faded away.
"At least we know where Jeremie gets murdered. It was definately in his dorm," Yumi confirmed.
"How do you figure that?"
Yumi smiled at him. "Because the first time I saw Aelita she was headed from the dorms. She must have been
with Jeremie."
"So that mean if we coem here after class we should find Jeremie waiting for her. Then all we have to do is
follow them to Jeremie's dorm room and stop CeeCee from commiting the murder."
"Maybe," Yumi mused. "But what if we can't stop it? Can we change history?"
-----
"There they are!" Yumi and Ulrich watched as Aelita and Jeremie started towards his dorm, chatting quietly.
"They look so alive," Yumi whispered.
"C'mon, we have to follow them," urged Ulrich. They followed the pair up the stairs and down the hall, into
a dorm room that Jeremie opened. "This is my room, the one I share with Odd," Ulrich whispered. "What?"
He followed Jeremie in and looked around, obviously shocked. "This isn't my room," he said. There was only
one bed here, with a picture of Einstein hung over it. On the far wall stood a table with a computer on it.
Jeremie had taken a seat in the chair and Aelita was leaning over his shoulder.
"We're in their world now," Yumi said aloud, looking around in awe. Both intruders jumped when the door
opened again. Jeremie and Aelita turned around in horror.
Into the room strode CeeCee, with Sissy at her heels. Sissy gave Yumi and Ulrich a satisfied smirk, but the
other girl's gaze was focused on Jeremie. As she walked towards the pair at the computer, CeeCee slowly slid a
dagger from behind her back.
"Hello, Jeremie darling," she oozed, her voice sickly sweet.
"Take it easy, CeeCee," soothed Jeremie. "What don't we talk for a bit?" He stood, pushing Aelita behind him
as he did so.
CeeCee stood over him, dagger in hand. "The time for talking is past!"
"Indeed it is." Yumi and Ulrich had been so absorbed in the scene before them that they had forgotten about
Sissy. Her voice jolted them back to reality and they turned to find that she too had a dagger. Mimicking the
other boy's move, Ulrich pushed Yumi behind him, feeling her stumble a bit with the crutches.
"Don't do this, Sissy," Ulrich said quietly. "It doesn't have to go down like this!"
"Quite the contrary, Ulrich, it does," Sissy purred. "Haven't you ever heard that we must learn from history
in order to avoid repeating it?"
"You obviously learned nothing from it," spat Yumi from behind him. "You're making the same mistake she is!"
Ulrich moved like lightning, swiftly knocking the dagger from Sissy's hand. It clattered to the floor, and
Aelita screamed. Everyone wheeled around to see CeeCee plunge the dagger down at Jeremie, piercing his heart. The
fallen boy gasped, a slow rasping breath, and collasped, a pool of blood forming under his lifeless body.
Aelita bolted, eyes wide with fear. CeeCee followed her out, moving past them like they weren't even there.
Yumi, Sissy and Ulrich stared in awe as the room transformed around them, back into Ulrich's regular dorm room.
-----
I think i'll leave it there. One more chapter to finish it up, i think.
The next moring flew by and luchtime found Yumi, Ulrich and Odd sitting in the lunch hall. Odd shoved food
into his mouth like he would never eat again. Yumi and Ulrich shifted their food from side to side on the trays,
obviously not hungry. Dark rings under Yumi's eyes said volumes about the amout of sleep she had gotten the
night before, and Ulrich hadn't spoken much all morning.
"Hello, Ulrich darling!" Pushing his tray aside, Ulrich put his head down on the cool table, as if this
would make her go away.
"Hey Sissy! How's the nose job working out for you?" Ulrich smiled down at the table at the thought of how
red Sissy's face must have been getting. Sure enough, when he raised his head up she was standing there glaring
daggers at Odd, who was smiling innocently.
"What do you want," Yumi snapped, pointedly not looking at the younger girl. Sissy's gaze shifted to the
crutches Yumi had leaned up against the table next to her.
"I just wanted to see if Ulrich wanted to take me to a movie tonight. I'm sure my dad would let us. I'd
invite you, but with that ankle and all..." Sissy trailed off, letting the silence finished the sentance for
her.
Yumi started to rise, ignoring the sharp pain that shot up her leg. Ulrich placed a calming hand on her
shoulder, gently forcing her back down into the seat. "I'd rather not," he managed to spit out. "I'd never go
out with a witch like you."
Sissy gave an unlady-like sniff and stalked away, looking hurt. "You shouldn't let her get to you," Ulrich
scolded Yumi softly. "She said that last part on purpose--"
Yumi cut him off. "I know that!" She sounded disgusted. "Sometimes it seems like payback might not be so
bad, you know?" The last part was said softly, and the boys could tell there was no malice behind it.
Sliding his tray over to Odd, who was looking rather lost, Ulrich stood up. "You done, Yumi?"
"Yeah." Yumi did the same, passing her tray to Odd and following Ulrich out.
Ulrich froze just outside the door, and Yumi bashed into him from behind. "Yumi," he breathed softly. "Take
a look at that!"
Over his shoulder, Yumi saw what the boy was looking at. On a bench in the park area sat Jeremie and
Aelita, glancing at each other awkwardly and looking generally uncomfortable. They were facing opposite
directions on the bench. Suddenly they both turned at the same time, locking eyes. Jeremie started to lean in,
and itdawned on Yumi what was happening. "We shouldn't be watching this," she hissed in Ulrich's ear.
Ulrich reached for Yumi's hand, squeezing it gently. "Why not? We're them, right?" Yumi turned an unnatural
shade of red, even as the scene before them continued to unfold. The ghostly pair's lips met and then parted.
Both of them looked highly embarassed.
"Would you like to come to my room after classes are over? I have a new computer program you might like to
see," Jeremie said, breaking the tension.
Aelita nodded. "That'd be great!"
"I'll meet you here after class then."
Ulrich winced as he felt Yumi's grip on his hand tighten. "Look in the trees over there, to the right," she
whispered. He followed her gaze and saw a lone figure behind a tree, within earshot of the pair on the bench, but
not within their line of sight.
"CeeCee," he whispered back. Breaking her cover the previously hidden girl came forward, striding towards
Jeremie and Aelita.
"Hello, Jeremie darling," she gushed loudly. "Would you like to come see a movie with me tonight?"
"That sounds awful familiar," mused Yumi in a low voice.
"No way. In your dreams, CeeCee," Jeremie said in similar fashion to Ulrich. Grabbing Aelita's hand, Jeremie
stalked away from the bench, leaving CeeCee to ponder her defeat.
"Well, that was interesting," Ulrich said, watching as the image of CeeCee faded away.
"At least we know where Jeremie gets murdered. It was definately in his dorm," Yumi confirmed.
"How do you figure that?"
Yumi smiled at him. "Because the first time I saw Aelita she was headed from the dorms. She must have been
with Jeremie."
"So that mean if we coem here after class we should find Jeremie waiting for her. Then all we have to do is
follow them to Jeremie's dorm room and stop CeeCee from commiting the murder."
"Maybe," Yumi mused. "But what if we can't stop it? Can we change history?"
-----
"There they are!" Yumi and Ulrich watched as Aelita and Jeremie started towards his dorm, chatting quietly.
"They look so alive," Yumi whispered.
"C'mon, we have to follow them," urged Ulrich. They followed the pair up the stairs and down the hall, into
a dorm room that Jeremie opened. "This is my room, the one I share with Odd," Ulrich whispered. "What?"
He followed Jeremie in and looked around, obviously shocked. "This isn't my room," he said. There was only
one bed here, with a picture of Einstein hung over it. On the far wall stood a table with a computer on it.
Jeremie had taken a seat in the chair and Aelita was leaning over his shoulder.
"We're in their world now," Yumi said aloud, looking around in awe. Both intruders jumped when the door
opened again. Jeremie and Aelita turned around in horror.
Into the room strode CeeCee, with Sissy at her heels. Sissy gave Yumi and Ulrich a satisfied smirk, but the
other girl's gaze was focused on Jeremie. As she walked towards the pair at the computer, CeeCee slowly slid a
dagger from behind her back.
"Hello, Jeremie darling," she oozed, her voice sickly sweet.
"Take it easy, CeeCee," soothed Jeremie. "What don't we talk for a bit?" He stood, pushing Aelita behind him
as he did so.
CeeCee stood over him, dagger in hand. "The time for talking is past!"
"Indeed it is." Yumi and Ulrich had been so absorbed in the scene before them that they had forgotten about
Sissy. Her voice jolted them back to reality and they turned to find that she too had a dagger. Mimicking the
other boy's move, Ulrich pushed Yumi behind him, feeling her stumble a bit with the crutches.
"Don't do this, Sissy," Ulrich said quietly. "It doesn't have to go down like this!"
"Quite the contrary, Ulrich, it does," Sissy purred. "Haven't you ever heard that we must learn from history
in order to avoid repeating it?"
"You obviously learned nothing from it," spat Yumi from behind him. "You're making the same mistake she is!"
Ulrich moved like lightning, swiftly knocking the dagger from Sissy's hand. It clattered to the floor, and
Aelita screamed. Everyone wheeled around to see CeeCee plunge the dagger down at Jeremie, piercing his heart. The
fallen boy gasped, a slow rasping breath, and collasped, a pool of blood forming under his lifeless body.
Aelita bolted, eyes wide with fear. CeeCee followed her out, moving past them like they weren't even there.
Yumi, Sissy and Ulrich stared in awe as the room transformed around them, back into Ulrich's regular dorm room.
-----
I think i'll leave it there. One more chapter to finish it up, i think.